Typical loading docks provide an area for trucks to back up to an elevated platform of a building so that cargo can be exchanged with the truck and/or its trailer. The cargo is transferred though a dock doorway of the building and a rear access door of the truck. To facilitate or improve the loading and/or unloading operations, some loading docks include equipment such as weather barriers, dock levelers and/or vehicle restraints.
Weather barriers, such as dock seals and dock shelters, are installed on the exterior of the building along the perimeter of the dock doorway. During loading and unloading of cargo, weather barriers seal or shelter a gap that would otherwise exist between the rear of the truck and the dock face of the building. By sealing or sheltering this area, weather barriers reduce (e.g., minimize) exchange of air and/or contaminants between the outdoor environment and the interiors of the truck and the building. Specific examples of dock shelters and dock seals are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,205,721; 6,233,885; 7,185,463 and 8,307,588, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Dock levelers typically comprise a pivotal or otherwise vertically adjustable deck with a retractable lip extension. The deck and lip provide an adjustable bridge between the truck and the building's elevated platform. The adjustable bridge serves as a path across which material handling equipment can travel as the equipment carries cargo to and from the truck. Examples of such material handling equipment include forklifts, pallet trucks, and automatic guided vehicles (e.g., laser guided vehicles). Examples of dock levelers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,440,772; 6,311,352; and 7,213,285, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Vehicle restraints help secure a truck at the dock during loading and/or unloading operations. Vehicle restraints are often installed on the exterior of the building, beneath the doorway. Vehicle restraints usually have a moveable barrier to selectively block and release the vehicle's RIG (rear impact guard or sometimes known as an ICC bar). Some vehicle restraints also include means for supporting the underside of the RIG to impede downward movement of the trailer bed of the truck as the weight of cargo and material handling equipment is added to the truck. Some example vehicle restraints are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,678,736 and 8,616,826, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.